Recap: The Amazing Race 35, Episode 5 – “Let’s make sure the dress has volume.”

Recap: The Amazing Race 35, Episode 5 – Yessir, the Pink City

If it wasn’t clear for everyone yet, Phil reiterates that teams Raced TWO Legs in Vietnam in one day. Now teams will be flying to Jaipur, India. All teams will be on the same flight and are released from the airport at the same time.

Teams run to taxis to take them to Amber Palace where they must carry and deliver a sugarcane bundle to a mahout. The teams are all neck and neck as they pass elephants on the path up to the palace.

Teams exchange the bundle for the next clue revealing the Road Block: Who’s feeling balanced? For this Road Block, teams must learn and perform the bhavai folk dance. Teams will need to keep three pots balanced on their heads as they follow a short, choreographed routine.

Teams change into their costumes and begin learning the routine. Anna Leigh is the first to go for an attempt, but fails twice. Andrea gives it a try and fails as well when her pots fall off.

Anna Leigh ends up passing on her third attempt. Greg & John were last in delivering the sugarcane, but he gets the thumbs up on his 2nd attempt as does Morgan. Andrea passes on her 6th attempt while Chelsea gets it on her 3rd attempt. Yeremi gets the thumbs up on his 5th attempt. Ashlie is finished after 3rd attempt, Ian gets it after this (?) attempt and Garrett on his 7th attempt. Corey, now in last, gets his performance approved after his 15th attempt.

After the Road Block, teams must make their way to Panna Meena Ka Kund. Steve & Anna Leigh arrive and open the clue revealing the Detour: All Dolled Up or The Big Picture. In All Dolled Up, teams must make two Kathputli marionettes and have them dance to get the next clue. In The Big Picture, teams must become part of Rajput art by dressing up and then figuring out which characters they must include to bring the picture to life.

Steve & Anna Leigh decide on the dolls while Morgan & Lena and Greg & John choose the painting as do Andrea & Malaina, Robbin & Chelsea, Liam & Yeremi, Todd & Ashlie and Joe & Ian. Joel & Garrett choose the dolls.

Todd & Ashlie are annoyed that Robinn & Chelsea, already in their rickshaw, do not point them to the Detour clue. Later, Todd & Ashlie and Joe & Ian are in a footrace to secure the final station at the Big Picture Detour. And Joe & Ian are the ones who find it first. That means Todd & Ashlie have to switch to the other Detour.

Rob & Corey, needing to catch up, decide on doing the dolls as well. That is where Steve & Anna Leigh are already getting their dolls approved and dancing in the show. The father and daughter are given the next clue revealing the Pit Stop at Gatore Ki Chhatriyan.

Steve & Anna Leigh check-in as Team #1 and win $3000 each. Phil informs them that sometime before the next Leg, they will have to anonymously vote for the team they want to U-Turn.

Greg & John take two checks before getting their scene approved. They take 2nd.

Rob & Corey catch up to Joel & Ashlie and Joel & Garrett at the dolls. But Joel & Garrett get their dolls approved before Todd & Ashlie who arrived before them. Andrea & Malaina get their scene approved while Todd & Ashlie get their dolls approved. Rob & Corey are the next to complete the Detour.

Morgan & Lena, meanwhile, decide to switch Detours. They originally had a rule that if they cannot complete a Detour within 25 minutes, they would switch. But they say they have been here for two hours so they leave.

Over at the Pit Stop, Joel & Garrett, Andrea & Malaina and Todd & Ashlie arrive within seconds of each other to finish as 3rd, 4th and 5th, respectively. The three teams then reveal to Rob & Corey that they are Team #6. Phil tells the teams about the U-Turn Vote.

Robbin & Chelsea finally get their scene approved followed by Liam & Yeremi. They finish as Teams 7 and 8.

It’s now down to Joe & Ian and Morgan & Lena. Morgan and Lena begin to grow frustrated. Lena almost pokes Morgan in the eyeball.

Joe & Ian get their scene approved while Morgan & Lena get their dolls to dance. Morgan & Lena get in a rickshaw first, but Joe & Ian suddenly pass them on the road. The sisters’ rickshaw driver takes a shortcut and they are able to catch up to Liam & Yeremi to check-in as Team #9.

Joe & Ian arrive while the two teams are still on the Mat, knowing they are last and eliminated.

Episode Thoughts

I’ll start with a positive comment before whining and then going back to positive things. lol

I am really enjoying seeing TAR35, TARAu and (though I haven’t watched past episode 1) TAR Finland all visiting Asia for their opening Legs. Asia has been sorely missed on TAR in the COVID Era. So it’s been wonderful seeing teams Racing through Southeast Asia especially.

Jaipur is a great location to visit. And the tasks were good for the Leg and location.

Now, let’s get to nitpicking.

I honestly was shocked when Steve & Anna Leigh read the Pit Stop clue after the Detour. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was. Another Route Marker+Road Block+Detour Leg. Just three tasks, one of which was not even really a full on challenge, let’s be real here.

Again, Betram and Co. knew they were producing 90-minute episodes this season. I think everyone assumed that when they said they went into this season with that knowledge, they would adjust the Leg design accordingly. Little did we know they simply meant they would stretch out the same short, quick, barebones Legs to fill the extra TV time.

Now, while I expect they’ll have to do more in the later Legs with less teams, I will again not be surprised if they don’t. It’s crazy to imagine, but these five episodes so far don’t really instill a whole lot of confidence regarding the issue.

What was funny this Leg was Morgan & Lena saying they spent two hours at the Detour. Are you telling me Morgan & Lena almost spent more time at the Detour than the duration of each of the last two Legs? Come on now.

I have to assume they were exaggerating a bit considering they were able to catch up to other teams and Joe & Ian were right behind them.

The sense of time was all messed up thanks to the weird editing once again. They really shouldn’t be stretching out the tasks and spreading teams out like they do when they end up stepping on the Mat within seconds of each other. There has to be a better way to reflect the teams’ positions than what they’ve been doing so far.

Like look at the departure times this Leg. Teams finished the tiles Road Block within 36 minutes of each other. Really? That’s not how the episode made it seem. And it is that weird editing that really exacerbates how short the Legs already are. And how they are stretching these short Legs to fill the 64 minute runtime.

Oh well. By Episode 5 now, I guess we just have to accept that this is the way TAR35 will be. A sad waste of potential with the time given (though perhaps budget continues to play a huge part in holding TAR back in the modern day).

Anyway, back to nice comments. Or not. First up, the sugarcane bundle delivery should’ve been much harder. Have each team member take a bundle at least. Or have teams need to tie the bundles themselves. Give them something to actually do rather than simply carrying them up the long path.

Next, the Road Block was fine. Nice cultural task. And a processional task, but placed at the start of the Leg. But okay when the rest of the Leg should provide opportunities for teams to catch up and fall behind. Which it did. But only on ONE task!

This was a good Limited Stations Detour. Both tasks deserved to be highlighted. So it’s good to have teams at either side. Didn’t seem like either took too long to complete though. Even though the dolls was obviously easier. But still solid tasks. Even better if they were just two of many tasks this Leg.

Having all the teams neck and neck and competing side by side all Leg was good too.

Overall, an okay Leg in Jaipur. An okay episode. But I just can’t help to think about the What if? in terms of how better the show can be. Both in Leg design and episode editing.

Team Thoughts

I’m actually a bit surprised Joe & Ian did not go further in this Race. They started off so well, but really did stumble in the recent Legs. Too bad. But it does show this season is wide open.

With Jocelyn & Victor out, Steve & Anna Leigh are definitely the top contenders with their strong performance these last three Legs. Definitely a U-Turn target, I would think. As are Rob & Corey. Even when they fell behind this Leg, they still managed to recover and catch up. Other teams may take notice of their resiliency.

Robbin & Chelsea are also a potential target considering two teams are now annoyed by them. So just like the Race is wide open, so is the potential U-Turn target as well!

Nice to see Liam & Yeremi continue to recover from their not-Non-Elimination finish. Andrea & Malaina are moving along at a good pace. And Morgan & Lena definitely need to recapture that magic they had in the first two Legs.

Joel & Garrett seem like potential darkhorses. You just never know when they’ll come up behind you. And I think they do have what it takes to go all the way. Todd & Ashlie are alright as well. They’ve been consistent, but maybe not seen as a threat by the other teams. So they might be in a good position. Greg & John are also a quieter team who could glide on through as well.

Episode Quotes

Shock! Actual episode quotes from a TARUS episode! lol

Yeremi: “They really want our sugarcane.”

Anna Leigh: “Don’t break his head off.”

Joel: “Let’s make sure the dress has volume.”

Ashlie: “Ugh, my pants fell off. Well, not mine, but…”

Corey: “If I could stop hitting my own thumb, that’d be sick.”

Morgan: “You’re sewing in a stupid way.”